GB Sciences and University of Athens, Greece, Embark on Next-Level Drug Discovery Examining Cannabis-Based, Disease-Modifying Compounds

GB Sciences explores the therapeutic potential of the chemical diversity within different varieties of the cannabis plant to make better medicine for patients worldwide.

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- GB Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: GBLX) initiates a new project with the Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.  Titled: The Cannabis Metabolomics ("Canna-bolomics") Project, the program will analyze each of GB Sciences' cultivars to determine whether additional molecules in these cultivars, and hundreds of other natural cannabis and hemp cultivars, show significant promise to treat diseases.

"GB Sciences is widening the lens with which we observe and characterize plant-based, cannabis-derived chemical mixtures for human therapies starting from GB Sciences' stock genotypes. Standard potency assays in Nevada only measure about ten cannabinoids and twenty-one terpenoids, whereas, metabolomic analyses allow us to measure all of the molecules in these mixtures to identify new compounds that potentially provide additional medical benefits for new patent-pending therapeutic mixtures," explains Dr. Andrea Small-Howard, Chief Science Officer of GB Sciences.  "In addition, we will look for disease-modifying compounds in other Cannabis genotypes using both functional assays and full metabolomic studies performed in parallel between GB Sciences and the University of Athens, respectively. Together, we can make better medicines that capitalize on the diversity of the biology of the plant."

GB Sciences' current research efforts has yielded multiple patent applications containing novel cannabinoid-containing complex mixtures (CCCM™) composed of cannabinoids and terpenoids that work synergistically. While the complex mixtures in GB Sciences current patent applications show clinical promise, GB Sciences had been limited in defining the formulations by their current method of measuring the secondary metabolites using third-party testing labs in Nevada.

Professor Leandros Skaltsounis, Director of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry of the University of Athens says, "The University of Athens welcomes this very important collaboration. In fact, this is our first international collaboration in this extremely important field. This project will increase our knowledge on chemical composition and enable us to better select the appropriate cannabis compounds to develop the next generation of therapeutic medicines."

John Poss, CEO and Chairman of GB Sciences says, "GB Sciences is excited about our new Canna-bolomics Project with the University of Athens. The potential for metabolomics methods to expand our formulations and improve the efficacy of our cannabis-based human therapies could bring our cannabis-based drug discovery efforts to the next level."

"This announcement is an important moment for medical cannabis research and Greece's emerging cannabis industry," said Annie Camarioti, co-founder of the Athens-based cannabis consultancy Medicanna, "The collaboration brings together GB Sciences' unparalleled cannabinoid expertise with the University of Athens' extraordinary faculty. It's a vital new chapter for cannabis research and for our country."  

About GB Sciences, Inc.

GB Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: GBLX) is a diverse cannabis company, focused on standardized cultivation and production methods; as well as biopharmaceutical research and development. The Company's goal is creating safe, standardized, pharmaceutical-grade, cannabinoid therapies that target a variety of medical conditions. To learn more about GB Sciences, Inc., go to: http://gbsciences.com.

About the University of Athens

The University of Athens (UOA) is the oldest and most renowned academic institution in Greece and is constantly among the most highly ranked educational institutions worldwide. With a human capital of over 2.000 academics, 80.000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and some 1.300 administrative staff, the University of Athens has been at the forefront of research and academic excellence.

Pharmacy is one of the first scientific subjects to be included in the University of Athens curriculum.  On 1835 by Royal Decree was established in Athens the "Theoretical and Practical Didactic Shop of Surgery, Medicine and Pharmacopoeia". Today, the Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry and the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry are included among the top 100 Pharmacy Departments globally, as indicated by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). With state-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities we are at the forefront of research on the development of the next generation of biologically active natural compounds, characterization of complex mixtures, profiling and quantitation, pharmacokinetics and bioavailability studies. Up-to-date NMR and MS techniques are employed for metabolomics approaches (NMR & LC-MS) in diverse substrates such as biological fluids, tissues and cells.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain statements relating to future results or events, which are forward-looking statements.  Words such as "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "could", "should", "anticipates", "likely", "believes" and words of similar import may identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only the Company's belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control.  It is possible that the Company's actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements.  Further, information concerning the Company and its business, including factors that potentially could materially affect the Company's business and financial and other results, are contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available at www.sec.gov.  All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which we hereafter become aware.

Note:  Although the Company's research and development activities are not illegal, the production and sale of cannabis products violate federal laws as they presently exist.

Contact Information

Corporate:
GB Sciences, Inc., 3550 West Teco Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89118
866-721-0297, or 
Tom Arcuragi, EVP, [email protected]

SOURCE GB Sciences, Inc.

Related Links

http://gbsciences.com/